Mr March

Must every director attached to a Tolkein adaptation look like a Hobbit? Seriosuly, I like Del Toro. He'd be a great choice. He knows how to handle special effects and he loves physical effects and make up as opposed to heavy use of CGI, just like Jackson. Del Toro can definitely capture the majesty and magic of the Hobbit in a film adaptation. I just hope the script and the casting works.

It still looks small to me. *crowd sratches heads*

The 1/48 scale Yammies aren't as light as models, which I think you suspected anyway. But at the same time, they are not heavy toys. Big though they may be, they are quite light. I've never hung a Yammie from the ceiling, but I'd be confident doing so. No problem.

Guess it's time to finally see all that great new product that was talked about for so long in the toy forum

Yup, you're a three-or-less kinda guy, just like me The law of diminishing returns is never far from my mind whenever I purchase a new toy. Also keep in my that your collection need not stay static either. I've sold a Yamato to make a "slot" available in my collection for another. I owned three VF-1 Valkyries, but after a while, I realized I didn't really need three and wasn't getting the most out of even two of them. So I sold one. You can easily do the same. Get what you like now and maybe sell off some for an new one. I'll probably sell my second VF-1 and purchase a YF-19 or perhaps a VF-25 (should there be one). Remember to keep your options open. You can't really take your toys with you when you die, so get what you can out of the "moment" and move on to other products. If nothing else, it keeps like interesting

These aren't very inspiring pictures. Admittedly, the Kaiyodo Revoltechs may have some stylized proportions, but they look better than the proportions of these things. I'm going to reserve judgment for the final product, but I'm thinking I might wait for some toy reviews first.

It's worth it as long as you get something out of it. Make certain that each time you buy one, you ask yourself exactly what you're getting out of it. Some people get a lot out of their Valkyries and for some, Macross is about the only hobby they have. So if you own a hundred Valkyries it might be worth it in certain cases. IMO, most fans are not going to get that much out of large numbers of Yamatos. Most fans have a tendency to purchase more and more not because of the product itself, but due to thrill of purchasing more Valkyries, of getting stuff in the mail, of opening that new box like it was Christmas. But it doesn't take long for the thrill to wear off and you have a room full of toys, some of which aren't even touched for years. IMO, if you're most fans, owning a few Valkyries will really be worth your while. You'll enjoy them and grow to appreciate them but don't get in the habit or you'll end up regretting it. If you're one of the rare fans that collects thousands of toys for your uber-hobby, these are the only kinds of folk who will really get much out of buying that one more VF-1J to complete your set of 100 If you even have this concern to begin with, I'm going to assume you're like me and will do just fine with the three Valkyries that I own

Very weird connection. Not sure I really follow, but anyway, yeah the gold hammerhead critters are all wiggling hard core The angles do seem much more shallow, but it's the bridge that really makes the "New Uraga" look so much larger. The new bridge looks nearly half the size of the old bridge, which makes the rest of the ship look really big.

I don't know if the VF-171 has been depowered but I will agree it's a possibility. IMO, I think the gun pod is the deciding factor based on what little we know so far. I'm still not yet subscribing to the theory that the VF-171 lacks internal missiles. There are what look like missile launcher ports (one per forward side fuselage) on the VF-171 in almost the exact location as the VF-17. Also, there are similar ports on the ventral fuselage/upper legs of the VF-171. It still remains to be seen if the medium-bore laser cannons on the arms are also featured on the VF-171. On the up side, the VF-171 carries extensive underwing ordnance, something the VF-17s did not. The only time the VF-17 had extra ordnance was with the Super Packs and from the looks of the ordnance carried by the VF-171 in Macross Frontier, it may have just as many missiles or more. There are 6 underwing hardpoints on the VF-171 seen in the first episode, carrying a variety of missiles and launchers. On another note, did anyone else notice that the enemy mechanoids seem to fly via flagella? They have no visible method of traditional propulsion, but the small gold fighters have glowing tails that they seem to use to propel themselves. They also use this "tail" as a weapon. The red mechanoids don't have any glowing parts, but they also feature a tail. Someone on another board also mentioned that the official website is calling the enemy mechanoids Bajura

Hahahahaha. That is so lame, it's hysterial

Thank you Graham! The VF-171 looks great! That VF-171 fighter just kicks butt and I really love the new redesigned elements of this new fighter mode. It looks much more "Valkyrie-like" than F-117-like of the original. Not that I had much a problem with the original, but this is new VF-171 is just so much better. The battroid mode is different, but great. The slimer legs look awkward at first glance, but once you start thinking "171" instead of "17" the proportions look perfect. The whole design is sleeker and slimmer and even the torso has been altered significantly. THe wings are also more pronounced in battroid mode and seem much more traditionally mounted as opposed to the much wider stance of the 17. I LOVE the 171 GERWALK. Finally a 17-like GERWALK mode that actually looks like it works. I have to say, the VF-171 GERWALK reminds me more than a little of the YF-21/VF-22 GERWALK mode. I agree that the only issue I have right now is the idea of a gun pod. The legs really don't look like they can carry a gun pod. At least, not like the gun pod of the original VF-17. Maybe a gun pistol

This issue has been done to death dozens of times; Macross Plus did just fine. However, it is an OVA, so it suffers from the same problems all OVAs do, which is to say it's not the most popular format. Television series have always been more popular as a format, so any comparison between an OVA and a series will always favor the series (all other factors being equal). Regardless, Macross Plus (being the most expensive anime up to that point) obviously did well enough to justify a movie version, merchandise and continued sale of toys even to this day.

This should get a big laugh. Jerry O'Connell does a parody skit of Tom Cruise's leaked scientology video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njpmmb_mTKI LOL

If this is a joke or you're messing with us, I will have to kill you wolfx NEED SCANS!!! NOW!

Evil, EXO. Pure evil. The joker would be proud

If you're not into it, that's fine. But this "excelling" that is being claimed is just misrepresentation. Hikaru was crap when he first got into a Valkyrie; that was the whole point. As for Alto, we've yet to see how he manages once in the cockpit. And yes, accomplished piloting of the EX-Gear is a great deal more relevant to a Valkyire than flying a circus Fan Racer, especially since the first episode of Frontier clearly establishes that EX-Gear is integral to the new Valkyries cockpits AND the EX-Gear trains students how to operate the mechanical limbs of a Battroid. The connection can't get much more obvious than that.

I agree. I read bad news every day. You have no choice if you want to stay informed. If I can counter all the negativity in my daily news with a good joke, I'll take it any chance I can get.

This is definitely where it belongs. Bitching about Macross is the official pastime of our beloved website (personally, I adored the first episode of Macross Frontier and can't wait for more)

HAHAHAHAHA! This is brilliant. Just yesterday I read the big article about the drop in the market and the effects it was having around the world, especially Europe and Japan. Damn, that is a funny article and quite clever too.

What a shame. He was a fine actor. This sure is a shock.

Wow. This cluelessness implied by this statement can only be described as impressive Oh, my dear JBO, you've made the understatement of the year In fact, it may be the most ridiculous statement ever written in the history of Macross World. And anyone who knows the history of our fair message board will appreciate that opinion

Good idea. Done and done.

I'm making some new Macross Frontier entries for inclusion in the Macropedia section of my website. Since I'm as much a newb to Frontier as everyone else, I figured I'd run the entries by everyone here and see if my terminology, definitions and impressions are the same as everyone else who has watched the show so far. Please feel free to offer suggestions EPM (Electronic Protective Measures): The term for the degree of protection against electromagnetic jamming. A rating is often used to designate the required level of protection against any given attack. Unmanned craft controlled via AI computers are especially susceptible to electromagnetic jamming of sufficient strength and thus the reality of jamming on the modern battlefield necessitates continued human operation of military vehicles. EX-Gear: The name for personalized flying equipment that features two wings and two small thrusters fitted to rest on a persons back. EX-Gear also includes head, leg and arm mounted hardware for protection, take off/landing and mobility. EX-Gear is used to familiarize a person with the flying and is integrated into cockpits of the newest VF-25 variable fighters. Civilian units built to the same standard as military issue equipment are used to train students in flight schools such as Miboshi Academy High. Fold Sickness: Adverse effects on the human body due to the space-time folding effect, the common method of interstellar travel. Symptoms of fold sickness are described as similar to that of motion sickness. NUAC (New Unified Army Command): The title that refers to the command structure for the New United Nations Spacy and other military sections. The unified armed forces are under the administration of the NUAC whereas each branch was once administered by separate command structures. NUN Spacy or NUNS (New United Nations Spacy): The title for the newest organized military space agency of the United Nations Government operating in 2059, sharing an obvious organizational history with the older UN Spacy military establishment. SMS (Civilian Military Provider): A private military company operating aboard the Macross 25 fleet. Highly trained and experienced civilian paramilitary units operate the most sophisticated modern military hardware to undertake missions for their customers. On board the Macross Frontier fleet, the Frontier Presidency directs the SMS when they require their services.

Yeah, I was a $250 purchaser as well. I don't really like the fact that I had to pay that much, but I am really glad I did because I wanted the original series really bad

The VF-17 is an interesting case to me. It's a good design and certainly one of the most unique of the Valkyries, but it's not quite what I would call good enough to compete for the top "best of the best" Valkyrie spots. Even after one has spent some time examining and admiring the VF-17 (which I've been doing ever since it's debut on my site) and even after one understands it's transformation, there's still something about the battroid mode that throws off the eye. It just doesn't exactly/kinda/nearly work; almost, but just...not...quite. I think the VF-17 Battroid is a true "damned as it is, damned as it could have been" desing. There's always something too skewed about the VF-17, but if Kawamori went with a straight flip down nose/fuselage, it might have looked sharp but would have been too boring. I can understand why he went with a unique transformation even at the expense of some aesthetic design. But I loveses it, warts and all